Ref: OCHA/GVA - 2005/0097
OCHA Situation Report No. 1
India (Gujarat) - Floods
7 July 2005
This situation report is based on information received from the United Nations Resident Coordinator's office in Delhi and the OCHA Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP) in Bangkok.
Situation
1. Due to unprecedented heavy rains since late June, the western Indian state of Gujarat has been experiencing flooding and inundation in low-lying areas. The affected districts are: Surat, Valsad, Navsari, Bharuch, Vadodara, Surendranagar, Dangs, Ahmedabad, Anand, Kheda, Amreli, Bhavnagar, Junagadh, Rajkot, Narmada, Jamnagar, Gandhinagar and Sabarkantha. The districts of Vadodara, Anand, and Kheda are the worst affected by the floods.
2. As of 6 July, 226 persons were reported killed, 13 persons were missing and 405,000 people were evacuated. The irrigation department has issued high alert for 41 dams, alert for 12 dams and warning for 17 dams.
3. Floodwaters have started receding and normalcy is gradually being restored. On 6 July, no significant rainfall had been recorded for the preceding 24-hour period. According to the report issued by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the monsoon rains in the State are expected to ease this week.
National and International Response
4. The Government has not requested international assistance to date.
5. At the request of the Chief Minister of the State, the Government announced preliminary aid of INR 5 billion (approximately USD 116.2 million). The Indian Armed Forces, consisting of Army, Navy and Air Force, have assisted evacuation. An Inter-Ministerial team for the damage assessment will be deployed early next week.
6. The district offices set up 600 relief camps with necessary requirements such as food and water. A team of 980 members (of which 336 medical officers) and 2434 Para medics have been deployed in the relief camps. The Gujarat State Government in addition has prepared 400,000 food packages and 40,000 family kits for affected population. The relief items are being distributed through airdrops and roads where accessibility is possible.
7. The United Nations Disaster Management Team (UNDMT) is assisting the emergency operation together with staff members of the United Nations Volunteer (UNV) programme and the Government of India.The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is assisting the State Government by supplying emergency items such as treatment for dehydration and chlorine tablets for water purification. The World Health Organization (WHO) field offices are monitoring the health and sanitation.
8. OCHA is in close contact with the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in Delhi and will revert with further information as required. This situation report, together with further information on ongoing emergencies, is also available on the OCHA Internet Website at http://www.reliefweb.int.
Map: India - South Gujarat: Floods
Telephone: +41-22-917 12 34
Fax: +41-22-917 00 23
E-mail: ochagva@un.org
In case of emergency only: Tel. +41-22-917 20 10
Desk Officers:
Ms. Masayo Kondo, direct Tel. +41-22-917-1997
Mr. Masaaki Nakagawa, direct Tel. +41-22-917-4034
Press contact:
(GVA) Ms. Elizabeth Byrs, direct Tel.
+41-22-917 26 53
(N.Y.) Ms. Stephanie Bunker, direct Tel. +1-917-892 1679
Disclaimer
- UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
- To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.